


The Great Curtain War

by knavessofhearts



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:04:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3342974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knavessofhearts/pseuds/knavessofhearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For centuries, Rumplestiltskin has lived in darkness. That is, until Belle discovers that the Dark Castle has woefully underused windows. <br/>She sets out on a mission, things escalate quickly.</p><p>a fluffy Fluffapalooza fic for the 3rd rumbelle-versary!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Great Curtain War

She had been there all of three days, and already hisfavourite chair had been moved from the kitchen to in front of the fire (itsfine upholstery way too close to theflames for his liking). His priceless artefacts & trinkets had been displayed and grouped by functionality and era, and the kitchen was reorganised to the point where he could no longer find a tea spoon let alone a plate or bowl.

The entire castle had been turned up on its head, shaken like looters rifling through someone’s pockets and everything put back out of place. To say he was unaccustomed to change was a severe understatement. The castle and its possessions had gone relatively untouched for centuries; and now 36 hours after he acquired a maid, the walls and floors were so clean Rumplestiltskin found himself getting lost in his own castle because he couldn’t recognise it.

It was unsettling at first, but he quickly grew familiar to the castle’s new way of life. Rumplestiltskin was shocked at the state of depravity he had been ‘living’ in, without ever realising just how dusty the furniture had gotten, until Belle swept in and made everything new again.

It became a welcome change, a breath of fresh air in the stale house. That was, until he walked into the great hall one morning and saw the curtains to the grand windows that lined the wall, were wide open. He had always disliked the view, but above all the protruding light that they fed through irritated him beyond comprehension. With a hasty flick of his hand, the curtains flew shut again at his command.

The same strange even occurred two weeks later. He entered the great hall again and found the curtains pulled back once more.   
Slightly irritated, he raised his entire arm over his head to conjure his magic, with slightly more force than needed, to magic them closed again. He made a mental note to inform Belle to keep the curtains closed, or there will be consequences, when the thought was banished from his mind as he heard the sound of someone crying somewhere in the castle.   
He made his way to the dungeon where she slept, and lingered outside the door for an instant as he listened through the walls to her sobs. Normally, Belle was the epitome of smugness and joy after pulling her little curtain prank-what could possibly have made her so upset? 

He shook his head, stepped towards the door and flourished his hand to wave it open, banishing the brief flicker of compassion from his brain. This wasn’t Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin didn’t care for others, or wonder how to make them feel better when they were sad. 

In the chaos that followed that day, and the intruder who shattered his way through those very windows, he forgot to tell her to keep the curtains closed. Then they had their adventure in Sherwood Forest, and she had thrown her arms around him when he spared the thief’s life. Then the smile she gave him when he told her he needed her to clean the library had filled his mind of everything else; he couldn’t even remember what the damn curtains looked like. He didn’t really make an entire library for her…of course not! Rumplestiltskin needed to distract her so she wouldn’t keep opening the curtains in the hall!

*

It worked for awhile; Belle became so absorbed in reading every book in the library that even the dust in his sanctuary of the great hall started to return. Rumplestiltskin found himself smiling smugly to himself as he spun his golden thread in the hall at his little win. 

Not a fortnight later, Rumplestiltskin walked proudly into the hall and recoiled as he came into contact with direct sunlight and a freshly dusted dining table.   
Squinting through his frustration, he marched over to the closest window. In his fit of irritation, magic was forgotten and he yanked the tall curtains shut by hand one by one. Once they were all closed once more, and not a sliver of light poking through, Rumplestiltskin let out a huff of indignation and fixed his dishevelled vest before continuing on to his wheel.

Later that afternoon, Belle came into the hall carrying a tray with tea and biscuits. Rumplestiltskin didn’t miss her look of surprise to see the curtains closed again, or the slight frown followed quickly by a smirk before she left him his tea and pranced back to the kitchen. 

She’s doing this on purpose, Rumplestiltskin realised. Belle knew it infuriated him, and she was trying to tease him. Well, no one gets away with teasing the Dark One, not even the little maid.

*

Next morning, Rumplestiltskin awoke earlier than usual, and snuck down to the great hall before Belle had stirred in her room.

It took all his might to not burst out in childish laughter and maintain a cool, indifferent composure when she practically ran into the great hall that morning, and found him already sitting pompously at his spinning wheel. 

Rumplestiltskin turned to face her with a casual “Good Morning!” at Belle, who let out a frustrated squawk. He turned back to his straw and Belle spun on her heels, storming back up to her room. Once she was out of earshot he let out a manic giggle at yet another victory. No one can outplay the player, after all.

That night, Rumplestiltskin slept soundly, satisfied at thwarting Belle’s attempts to outwit him. He strutted into the main hall the next morning expecting the curtains to be open and the game to start all over, as Belle would try to outplay him again. He was met by the accustomed darkness that came to his liking, and he was stopped in his tracks. 

It was too calm in the room, as if Rumplestiltskin was expecting something to jump out of the curtains to spring open by themselves if he took his eyes off them. Belle hadn’t opened them, he straightened his back and walked peacefully into the room, and they remained closed all day despite him leaving and Belle entering throughout the day. 

Rumplestiltskin watched her closely and noticed nothing in her expression- it was the picture of serenity. And that was how Rumplestiltskin knew she was planning something, and he was petrified that he couldn’t figure out what that plan was. That night, Rumplestiltskin did not sleep soundly.

*

Once he did fall asleep, although in the very wee hours of the morning, he was dead to the world. It was one of the many things about Rumplestiltskin that captivated Belle, the world could be destroyed around him but he would sleep through it all, wake up and wonder what happened to his castle. This particular trait of the Dark One proved invaluable to her plan.

Barely dawn, she crept into Rumplestiltskin’s chamber. Though she was strictly forbidden not to enter this part of the castle, Rumplestiltskin’s words had become more guidelines than rules. Belle had been living there almost 8 months now, and she knew he would never punish her for anything…except maybe what she was about to do. But drastic times had called for drastic measures. He kept thwarting her attempts at keeping the curtains open, all he had to do was wave his hand and he would win. Belle had to teach him a lesson, and also up the stakes of their little game.

She didn’t bother to shut the door carefully as she entered, not even slamming it with all her strength would Rumplestiltskin stir. She smiled mischievously to herself as she watched over the comatose Dark One- utterly powerless in sleep-before dashing over to the other side of his room…to the windows.

Like every room in the castle, excluding her chambers and the library, the windows were either boarded or covered by thick curtains. To her advantage, luckily Rumplestiltskin’s windows weren’t boarded. For a second, Belle hesitated when she reached to open the drapes, as Rumplestiltskin began to snore softly. She had to cover her mouth with her spare hand to stop herself from bursting out loud laughing- then ripped the curtains open.

Belle left his room swiftly once she completed her deed, as the sun began to rise over the mountains and through the now exposed windows. She raced downstairs and into the Great Hall, hastily grabbing for her book on the table and sat on the recliner where she normally read, opening the book to a random page. 

She tried to distract herself from the impending chaos upstairs that would erupt any minute, but she could barely keep her eyes on the words in front of her. Belle felt like a child again on the morning of her birthday, jumping up and down with excitement as she waited for Mother & Papa to wake up.

Less than an hour later, Belle almost dropped her book in her lap as a reverberating, ear-splitting shriek of horror roared through the castle and shook the walls. Belle couldn’t stop herself as she dropped her book to the floor and started giggling uncontrollably. 30 seconds later, she heard hustling footstep descend the staircase and she picked her book back off the floor.

Rumplestiltskin, the mighty and feared Dark One burst into the room still wearing his night clothes and barefoot, looking like someone had electrocuted him. His eyes fell to where she sat poised and tranquil, and she softly flitted her glance to the dumbfounded Rumplestiltskin standing in the doorway.

“Good Morning, Rumplestiltskin” she smiled innocently, slightly shuffling along the recliner to hide the stolen drapes behind her from Rumplestiltskin. He stood there staring at her with a dumbfounded look plastered across his normally gleeful face. Belle shot him a final smug grin before going back to reading her book, watching from the corner of her eye as he silently faded back out into the hallway. 

He may be the master of tricks, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lose once in awhile. Today, the apprentice outsmarted the master, and Belle wondered how long he would sulk for before remembering he could conjure up new curtains.

*

Suffering a blowing defeat, Rumplestiltskin did not challenge Belle as she opened the curtains to the great hall after he returned back downstairs wearing his usual armour, but still sat sulking in the corner. 

Belle wore a smile on her face all day as they both went about their business- the curtains stayed opened. More than once she caught Rumplestiltskin watching her from across the room with a matching smile, and then quickly remembering he was meant to be mad at her for beating him at the game and averting his gaze.

Once night fell, the curtains closed gently at Rumplestiltskin’s command. Belle wished him a sweet goodnight, to which he replied with a sparkle in his eye as she left the great hall. 

 

She slept soundly, proud of her achievements of the day, and wondering what Rumplestiltskin’s retribution will be, what piece he would play next. 

The silent game they had been playing for months brought her a secret delight she knew he shared as well. It had become almost an inside joke between the two, as playful as the banter they tossed back and forth when he complained about the maid he hired never cleaning. 

Belle knew he didn’t expect her to clean, just as she knew he would never turn her into a toad if she didn’t. 

The game was fun, but it wouldn’t last forever. Every game eventually ends, with one of them winning and the other losing. Belle turned in her bed and tried to stop herself from feeling sad. She didn’t want the game to end.

*

Belle had half expected to walk into the hall that morning and find the curtains open, that maybe Rumplestiltskin would admit finally defeat and end their game. So for once she was relieved to see them firmly shut, and the man himself in his usual corner spinning straw into gold.

Belle made her way to the first curtain to begin the game again, Rumplestiltskin spinning away and oblivious to the fact she had entered. His mind often wandered when he was at his wheel, and he spent so much time there. Belle couldn’t help but notice he looked lost, sullen, and she smiled slightly as she reached for the drapes, hoping that maybe their game would cheer him up.

Yet as she tugged at the heavy fabric, it did not budge. Trying her best to pull the shadows apart, each time she tried they fell back into their place. It wasn’t magic, she couldn’t feel it like she normally could with the castle’s other enchanted objects, so Rumplestiltskin didn’t tamper with them, but perhaps he has interfered another way. She smiled again, he was still playing the game, and he just made another move.

Rumplestiltskin did not even notice Belle run out of the room, and return many moments later dragging in the largest ladder she could manoeuvre (and frankly was shocked even that hadn’t snapped Rumple out of his trance…it was a sizeable ladder) and commencing her assault on opening these darned curtains. Rumplestiltskin was challenging her, and she wasn’t going to give up without a fight. She had the upperhand, and wasn’t going crown Rumplestiltskin the winner just yet.

Once she was high in the sky on the ladder, Rumplestiltskin still seemed worlds away, Belle no longer thinking he was feigning ignorance of her presence as he twirled the straw and watched the gold streams fall in front of his eyes. Belle paused her attempts to open the curtains, and turned to look down at Rumple.

“Why do you spin so much?” she questioned him, expecting him to be startled by her sudden voice. He merely straightened up, his hand freeze at the wheel and become very still. He was like a deer that was startled in the woods, not reacting violently to a disturbance but growing as still as a statue. Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder in her direction, his hands still stationary on the wheel.

“Sorry, it’s just that you’ve spun more straw into gold than you could ever spend…” she pondered out loud as his fingers became reanimated and twirled the wheel.

“I like to watch the wheel…helps me forget,” he chimed.

“Forget what?” she asked him, temporarily forgetting her mission to defeat the curtains.

The wheel stopped spinning again as Rumplestiltskin grew tense, before he sung out “I guess it worked.” Followed by his familiar giggle and he turned to see her reaction. She couldn’t stop herself from joining in laughing at his own ridiculous joke. She turned her attentions back to her mission at hand, thwarting his attempts to beat her. Belle heard him rise from his seat and saunter across the room.

“What are you doing?” he questioned with feigned curiosity as he walked over to stand by the window, knowing full well what she was trying to do. She rolled her eyes but did not turn around to face him, determined to not let him think he was winning.

“Opening these!” Belle declared, playing along, with false grandeur. “It’s almost Spring-we should let some light in!” She turned to stare at him and wink, and he beamed up at her before she turned back around to defeat the stubborn fabric. No matter how hard she tried, which way she pulled or the intensity of her determination, the curtains wouldn’t budge. She let out a frustrated breath and could no longer maintain the narrative of their game. Whatever he had done defied logic.

“What did you do, nail them down??” she exasperated in disbelief. There were no rules to the game, but surely this was cheating.

“Yes!” Rumplestiltskin replied wryly, as if it was the most logical step to take when one was hell-bent on keeping the curtains closed. Who nails down the curtains??

She shot him an incredulous look, but then shook her head tauntingly as she returned to pulling the curtain. He thought the nails would be enough to stop her, but Belle would prove him wrong. He wasn’t going to win that easy just because he thought he was being clever.

Belle tried another attempt at conquering the curtains. All she needed was the proper angle and she could tear the material free, and bring it tumbling onto the ground. Or better yet, releasing the heavy curtain and watching it engulf the Dark One as she watched cheerfully from atop the ladder. Then she would win, the curtain will be gone and she will win.

Her desire to send it toppling to the ground gave her the extra strength and motivation to give it a confident heave. Unfortunately, it was too confident, and the fabric ripped free faster than Belle could react, and suddenly it wasn’t just the curtains that would land on Rumplestiltskin. She lost her footing, and fell sideways off the ladder.

There wasn’t even enough time to scream, or react. One second she fell, the next she was falling, and then she was in Rumplestiltskin’s arms; who seemed just as surprised and perplexed by the last three seconds as she was.

The light made him squint as he tried to adjust to the sudden change, before his vision cleared and he seemed to realise he was holding her in his arms, and looked at her with the most bewildered expression. They both seemed to realise at the same moment how close they were to each other, that is was contact like they had never had before. The playful banter and teasing of their little curtain game had been harmless, but now she was literally in his arms.

She shook herself out of the shock, and uttered a very grateful “Thank you,”, but Rumplestiltskin still seemed to be processing the last 5 seconds, before his arm let out and Belle was able to stand back on her feet, his other arm lingering on her back for a moment.

“Thank you.” she repeated as she fixed her dress, and he stood awkwardly beside her trying to regain his composure.

“No matter,” Rumplestiltskin said clumsily and started to walk away

“I’ll, uh-put the curtains back up,” Belle offered. She wasn’t sure if her almost dying would count as him winning, and Belle was sure he wouldn’t think so either. She waited expectantly for his reply, hoping he would let the game continue and not banish all the ladders from the castle.

Rumplestiltskin stopped uneasily and turned to face her, glancing down at the fallen, dusty old curtain.

“There’s no need,” he said in his gruffly, impish tone, with a hidden smile just shining through “I’ll get used to it.”

He turned and strolled back slowly to his wheel. Belle stayed by the window, which seemed to let in more light than any other time she had opened the curtains. She pondered what his words meant, before realising that he had ended the game. She had won. Belle pulled down the curtains, and he said he would get used to it. Rumplestiltskin was no longer afraid of the light. The game was over, but Belle declared it a tie. No one won and no one lost.

Rumplestiltskin resumed his spinning, and Belle discarded the torn and useless curtain. When she returned, the remaining windows all now welcomed the light into the hall, and Rumple sat basking in the sun by his wheel- the window Belle had fell from now proudly showcased a new curtain that hung open like the others.

Belle reached for her book and curled up in Rumple’s chair by the fire, watching him from across the room as their day resolved back to its normalcy. The game had ended, but Belle began to gain the feeling that another was about to begin.


End file.
